McElroy top Academic All-American
ESPN.com – Nov. 23
The academic awards continue to pour in for Alabama senior quarterback Greg McElroy, who was named Tuesday as the ESPN Academic All-American of the Year as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). McElroy, a Rhodes scholarship finalist, is 23-2 as Alabama’s starting quarterback. He completed his undergraduate work with a 3.82 GPA, earning a degree in marketing. He’s now finishing up his graduate degree in sports administration and has a 4.0 GPA. A finalist for the William V. Campbell Award, McElroy is a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. “It is a great honor,” McElroy said. “One of my goals when I came to school here was to be an Academic All-American. It is something I set my sights on early in my career at Alabama. I am just very proud to be able to represent the University of Alabama and very honored to be selected as the Academic All-American of the Year.” Joining McElroy from the SEC on the Academic All-America first team are Alabama offensive guard Barrett Jones… Jones, who has started 24 of the last 25 games at Alabama, was a second-team Academic All-America selection last year. He has a perfect 4.o GPA in finance and was a Freshman All-America honoree last season on the field…
Sharks use golf ball technology to hunt
National Geographic – Nov. 23
…Sharks are covered in flexible scales—nearly invisible to the human eye—that are made of the same material as teeth. The scaly hide serves as both a suit of armor and a means of streamlining movement, according to Amy Lang, an aerospace engineer at the University of Alabama…Lang partnered with a team of biologists to study the shortfin mako, a relative of the great white shark, in the lab…Combining lab observations of the shark’s scales with computer models, the team discovered that a shortfin mako’s scales differ in size and flexibility over its body. For instance, the most tapered—and thus most movable—scales were found behind the gills and on the sides of the body. Scales in these areas can bristle up to angles of 60 degrees or more from the skin, according to Lang…Overall, sharks’ 400 million years of evolution for strength and speed may someday inspire better designs for machines that are prone to drag, such as aircraft, Lang noted. Research presented November 23 at the American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, California.
The London (England) Telegraph – Nov. 24
Chromium Has No Nutritional Effect
Medical News Today – Nov. 24
Despite a long-held acceptance that healthy diets must incorporate chromium III, new research indicates the element has no nutritional benefit, according to a paper authored by University of Alabama researchers. Research, publishing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, strongly indicates that chromium, which the National Academies of Sciences accepted as an essential element in 1980, is not an essential element, said Dr. John Vincent, professor of chemistry at UA and a co-author of the study. “This means that the status of chromium in numerous nutrition and related textbooks and in the dietary guidelines of the national academies and USDA (and similar agencies) will need to be rewritten,” said Vincent, one of the study’s primary authors, along with Dr. Jane Rasco, an assistant professor of biological sciences at UA…
Auburn wins food drive battle
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 23
…After three consecutive wins, the University of Alabama lost to Auburn University in the 17th annual Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food drive. The drive began Oct. 11 and ended Monday. Alabama fans and students collected 218,510 pounds of food for the West Alabama Food Bank, while Auburn collected 234,116 pounds of food for the East Alabama Food Bank. Although UA came up short against Auburn in the competition, the overall outcome was a win for the communities of both schools. Alabama increased its collection by 24 percent over last year’s total of 175,653 pounds, and Auburn saw a 43 percent increase over its 164,034 pounds from last year. As a whole, the universities’ 452,626 pounds of food collected in the competition was a 33 percent increase over last year’s 339,697 pounds. “We were very excited to be able to raise 218,510 pounds of food for West Alabama,” said Charlotte Brown, a UA student and co-director of the Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Food Drive. “Obviously, it exceeded last year’s numbers and whether we win or lose against Auburn, it’s amazing the amount of effort that UA and the Tuscaloosa community have put forth to raise that amount of food.”…
Business News
Birmingham News – Nov. 24
…Dr. John R. Wheat — have been inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. Wheat is a professor of community and rural medicine at the University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences. He has worked closely with UAB’s School of Medicine to direct the rural scholars program, which is designed to increase the number of physicians serving underserved communities…